Italy: Santa Croce and the 'Hiatus' Dress

McCall 3939 aka the 'Hiatus' Dress with handmade belt

Ness Shoes (from their store in Scotland)

My recent trip to Florence, Italy was one of the few non-work related travel I have done in the past couple of years.  What a lovely treat!  I absolutely adore Florence and still think it has one of the best fabric stores in Europe (check out my previous post on Bacci Fabrics), outside of Edinburgh, of course.  One of the sites I most wanted to see again was the church of Santa Croce.  I wore McCall 3939, called the 'Hiatus' Dress made from a 1940 pattern (check out my original post on sewing the dress here).

On the left is a photo of Santa Croce from 1940 and the right is the photo from today:

The front doors of the cathedral are MASSIVE:

The inside of the cathedral is amazing and is the burial place of Galileo, Machiavelli and Dante!

There are also some amazing painting and frescos within the cathedral :

A beautiful site to visit and along the way we stopped for a picturesque shot from the Ponte Vecchio bridge:

Such an amazingly beautiful city and a great place to wear 1940s fashions!  Have you been to Florence?

1940 around the World: Italy

I love traveling and I feel lucky in that I get to do a fair amount with my day job.  I often wonder what places and the people who lived there would look like in 1940.  Vintage travel photos from 1940 are incredibly hard to come by and I feel super lucky to have recently acquired the entire 1940 collection of National Geographic magazines that have some amazing pictures and features (for £5 on Ebay UK...can you believe it?)  Each month I'll try and feature a new location captured in the year 1940, and as much as possible try and match it to my work and holiday travel!

For January, I thought it would be perfect to focus on one of the fashion hubs - Italy.  I love Italy. The cities are beautiful, craft is still appreciated and honed, the food and wine are delicious and the fashion is admirable.

Let's take a look at a few photos from 1940 in Italy, starting with a feature in the March 1940 edition of National Geographic called "Italy, From Roman Ruins to Radio".

This first photo is from Rome and I love that we get a glimpse of a woman and her son walking down the grand staircase, with the little boy in an adorable suspender short play outfit:

Equestrian groups of Castor and Pollux, mythical patrons of games and horsemanship, stand at the head of the broad stairs mounting the Capitoline Hill where Romulus traditionally founded Rome.  Michelangelo designed the Capitoline Museum (left) and the staircase in front of the Senatorial Palace (background). 

Photo and caption from the March 1940 National Geographic Magazine

The attention of the article quickly shifts to Florence with the famous statues of David and Hercules in front of the Palazzo Vecchio:

A modern copy of Michelangelo's celebrated statue of the giant killers (left) replaces the original, removed for protection to the Academy of Fine Arts.  Back Bandinelli, rival of the Renaissance master, carved the group at the right showing mythological Hercules, triumphant over Cacus, Vulcan's son.  The fortresslike Palazzo Vecchio has served both as palace and prison; not iw contains municipal offices of Florence.  

Photo and caption from March 1940 National Geographic Magazine.

In the same square (Piazza della Signoria), we see the group of statues with the famous Perseus at the front. This statue was completed in 1554 and has been in this square ever since. This statue was restored in 1998.

I love how we get a glimpse of several pedestrians in this photo:

Benvenuto Cellini's bronze masterpiece and other great sculptures adorn the Loggia dei Lanzi in Florene.  To cast a bronze statue, the artist first holds was in the desired form over a rough core.  Then he pours on thin coats of a clay and plaster liquid which dries and makes a covering shell.  The wax is melted out and the space it occupied filled with bronze.  After the metal hardens, the outer case and core are removed.  

Photo and caption from the March 1940 National Geographic Magazine.

You can't talk about the experiences of anywhere in the world during the year 1940 without talking about WWII which was well underway in Europe and Asia.  This edition of National Geographic was published right as the Winter War ended, where the Soviet Union invaded Finland and a month before Germany was to invade Denmark and Norway. The photo below shows the mass crowds in Milan at a speech by Mussolini. Hitler would later visit Florence, Italy in October of 1940.

Tight-packed as poppy seeds, Italians jam Milan's cathedral square to hear their leader.  

Photo and caption from the March 1940 National Geographic Magazine

I also have a few recently acquired photos from the early 1940s in Italy which show more of the fashion of the times including this wonderful photo of women walking down the street.  I just adore the hats and the fur cuffs on the coat:

I'm a big fan of 1940s suits, especially with plaid jackets.  So, I absolutely adore this photo of several stylish ladies:

Finally, I just adore this 1940s 'lovers' postcard.  Check out her dress and her hair! 

I look forward to exploring this year in other locations.  It's an interesting year to focus on for fashion since it's in the beginning of WWII.  My goal is to showcase as many different types of source material as possible from the year – from newspapers to fashion magazines to other popular media.  

McCall 3953: The 'Tabula Rasa' Dress

Tabula Rasa is Latin for blank slate – both a good moniker for the basic black dress that I can add accessories to and also a good way to ring in both the New Year and my birthday this last week!

This pattern is McCall 3953 which was featured in the November 1940 McCall's magazine and was described thus:

The dress is designed to make one seem slimmer and taller.  It does this very simply by a fan cluster of pleats and tucks at the front. No. 3953.

The dress was originally chosen to be a graduation dress, but then I realised the impracticality of my deadline and decided to turn it into a birthday dress instead!

We ventured out to a part of the city called 'the Mound'--a high-point in the centre of town that connects the Old Town and New Town.  One of my favourite scenic spots is the University of Edinburgh's School of Divinity courtyard with the almost castle-like entrance on one side (with a statue of John Knox pointing upwards):

To the other view of the courtyard with space between the building to allow one to see the old Victoria Hall, originally built between 1842 and 1845 to house the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland; now serving as the 'Hub', the headquarters of Edinburgh International Festival:

You can take a full 360 virtual tour of the courtyard and buildings here.

As is my annual tradition, I got my hair done for my birthday by Ariana at Miss Dixiebelle, Scotland's vintage hairdressers (who have opened up their new location right in my neighbourhood...whoohoo).  I just love Ariana's early 1940s styling!  You can check out my previous hairdos from birthdays (and non-birthdays) past here, here, here, and here and vintage cuts here and here.

I made the dress out of black triple crepe dress fabric that I got at Edinburgh Fabrics (one of my favourite local haunts which was featured in this month's Seamwork Magazine, Issue 13! YAY!)

The pattern features a 'necklace' neckline (a 1940 trend to accommodate the wonderful jewellery of the period) and a long back zipper (there is also the option to have a button back but with the fabric weight, I decided on the zip).  The pattern also features a fan of tucks in the lower bodice that then match up with a series of pleats in the skirt front pieces.  There are also gathers at the lower bodice front and back.  The sleeve head features four darts and the sleeves are bracelet length (3/4 sleeve).

I also made a belt (with assistance from David) with double interfacing and a retro inspired belt buckle.  The belt is completely hand sewn.

I love the feel of crepe fabric.  It's a substantial weight yet still springy and doesn't wrinkle easily.

After our trip to the School of Divinity, we headed to the Scottish National Gallery, a January tradition in our house.  We go in January because they bring out J.M.W. Turner's watercolours in January only (to preserve the delicate watercolours from fading), and well, that in itself seemed like a good enough reason to start a new tradition! This is my second year of seeing the Turner watercolours in January and they never disappoint.

Not to mention the museum is absolutely breathtaking and inspiring inside (and you can even take pictures!)  The rooms include British, Flemish and Dutch masters and a delightful display of Scottish art.

Overall, a wonderful birthday excursion especially for a cold January's day!

This is David's favourite picture....he loves the way the light plays with the angles and says it's very evocative of 1940s style:

One of my exciting plans for this year is to revisit my accessories challenge from a couple of years back and to sew and create new accessories for this dress for each month of this year.  I'm excited to see how many ways this basic black dress can be transformed throughout the seasons.  I've got some fun ideas and many of those involve other 1940 McCall patterns. yippee... A tabula rasa dress indeed!

What about you?  Do you have a "basics" pattern that you can dress up or down and accessorise?  Why not join me and set a monthly challenge to see how many different ways to style that basic garment with different sewn elements? I'm going to try and post my accessory challenges by the third week of each month. Anyone else interested?

Simplicity Reproduction Pattern 8050 from 1941

Well, well, well...lookey here.  Simplicity has just reissued one of their vintage patterns:

I was super happy to see this since I have sewn up this vintage pattern and I am VERY curious about what changes they make when they re-release the vintage patterns.  Here's my version called the 'Chocolate and Wine' Dress:

I opted for version 1, though I had originally thought about version 2 until I encountered the diabolical fabric loops for the teeny buttons which quickly prompted version 1 which closes with a zipper!

Here is the original pattern, which is Simplicity 3948 which I won in a giveaway from House of Pinheiro:

This is a great pattern and the options to mix it up (for example with a 'fauxlero' look) are plenty.  I can't wait to grab one of the reissued patterns to look at it side-by-side with Simplicity 3948!

Plans for 2016

I love seeing everyone's blogging and sewing plans for the new year and thought I would share my own plans!

I've been really enjoying the 1940 McCall Project and want to delve into that more--especially with all the source material I have in the form of McCall magazines, style news and fashion books:

McCall's Magazines from 1940

This year, I really want to explore these source materials month-by-month for:

• patterns and fashion trends,
• homemaking and cooking tips,
• movies and travel news, and
• other historical events.

My other goal is to sew up one McCall pattern per month (according to it's release and feature) for 2016!

Whoohooo...very excited to explore the year 1940!

What are your blogging/sewing plans for this new year?

1940 McCall Project Update

Whoohooo...the end of 2015! I am so excited for a new year.  I didn't do a lot of sewing in 2015 because I was so busy with work (and then so tired when I wasn't working as a result), but I'm looking forward to changing that balance in 2016.  One way I hope to do that is to to continue to focus on what I'm really passionate about– the 1940 McCall Project.  For those that may not know, I am absolutely obsessed with both this year and this pattern company and am trying to hunt down and sew all the patterns from 1940 from McCall.

How far have I come with the project?

Pattern Collecting
For the pattern collection, I estimate there are 456 main patterns with the copyright of 1940 and 89 transfer patterns (for a total of approximately 545 patterns from the year 1940).  I now own approximately 49% of all the main patterns and 65% of the transfer patterns! Woohooo...half way there!  You can follow my pattern collection on pinterest.

Sewing
To date, I've sewn up 24 garments from the 1940 pattern collection (+ 1 honorary mention, the last transfer pattern from 1939).  I keep track of all my sewing on a special 1940 McCall Project blog page.

Below is a photo recap of the garments I've sewn and some of my favourite items.

One of my favourite fabrics to sew with has been viscose because of the drape and it's good match to the 1940 designs.  I've sewn up four dresses using viscose fabric:

1. McCall 3939, the Acai 'Hiatus' dress; 2. McCall 3638, the grey 'Tea Dance' dress; 3. McCall 3560, the brown 'Birthday' dress; 4 McCall 3820, the 'Scottie' dress

Separates, separates, separates...I love separates.  You will have seen by my recent post that I love sewing and wearing 1940s trousers, which makes it great to also sew matching topper jackets, blazers and blouses.  I hope to sew more of these types of garments in 2016!

1. McCall 3619, the 'Swing' jacket; 2. McCall 3769, the 'Lantern Army' jacket; 3. McCall 764: the 'Birdie' blouse; 4. McCall 3662: the 'Sew Bossy' top

More separates and matching pieces as well as my only needlework pattern to date (the House of the Seven Gables cross-stitch pattern):

1. McCall 3864: the 'Windy' skirt; 2. McCall 3606: the 'Christmas Collegiate' skirt; 3. McCall 789: the 'House of the Seven Gables'; 4. McCall 3554: the 'Black Cherry' blouse

Three of my favourite makes include the Scottish Christmas dress and hat and the 1940 nightgown (wearing that now!):

1. McCall 741: the 'Scottish Christmas' hat and McCall 3574: the 'Scottish Christmas' dress; 2. McCall 3624: the 'Luck o' the Irish' dress; 3. McCall 4043: the 'Mysterious McCall' dress; 4.  McCall 3980: the 'Wish Upon a Star' nightgown

I didn't set out to sew around a colour palette but apparently, I sew a lot of red, white and blue.  For my next makes, I'd like to focus on making a capsule wardrobe of pieces that go together but I'm still deciding on the colours.

1. McCall 3744: the 'Summer Days' dress; 2. McCall 3678: the 'Famous Hooded Princess Dress'; 3. McCall 3968: the 'Jumpin' the Shark' skirt; 4. McCall 3641: the 'Rabbie Burns' dress

I'm happy that I have a mix of summer and winter dresses.  I would like to sew more summer related work clothes for travel.  Here's my summer collection of dresses:

1. McCall 3865: the 'Bright Side' dress; 2. McCall 3684: the 'Clackett Cantina' dress; 3. McCall 3686: the 'Fall for Cotton' dress; 4. McCall 3908: the 'First Crepe of Summer' dress

I can't wait to focus more on the 1940 McCall Project in 2016.  I've got some fun ideas and projects lined up!

Hope you all have a lovely New Year's Eve and are dreaming about sewing plans :-)

McCall 3606: The Collegiate Christmas Skirt

YAY! Another 1940 McCall make!  Many of you know that I'm on a mission to sew up as many of these patterns from the year 1940 as possible.  Check out my progress here.

I made up McCall 3606, which is a straight skirt with an option of sewing the skirt with belt loops or without.  I choose to forego the belt loops on this version.  I also sewed up this pattern without instructions. Thank you 1940 McCall for your awesome printed patterns!

I made the skirt out of lovely green wool that I bought a couple of christmases ago.  Sewing it up was fairly easy but I did have to grade it up about 4 inches, which was easy to do although I did have to cut out the waistband twice.  It also has a lapped side zipper and interfaced waistband.

I paired my new green skirt with my 'Black Cherry' blouse, another 1940 McCall make:

It's been unseasonably warm here (though it was still cold in these photos).  I like how the skirt can be worn in a collegiate style as well with a nice big chunky sweater (I just need some saddle shoes!):

I love the new skirt...and here's some twirling to show you how much I love it....right in front of Holyrood Palace...heheheeh:

Hope you all had a lovely Christmas weekend and got up to some sewing!  I'm looking forward to some more year end sewing.

Simplicity 3688: Holiday Graffiti Trousers

Awww...Simplicity 3688...how I love thee.  This is my TNT (tried 'n true) trouser pattern.  This time I made it up in a earthy brown coloured wool.  I got this fabric at a charity shop (I love Scottish charity shops, where I regularly find metres of wool!)

The only alteration I make to this pattern is to cut the legs pattern pieces slightly longer.  It has two darts in the front and four in the back and closes with a lapped zipper on the side:

This is my 6th trouser make from this pattern!!  And it's fair to say that these trousers are a staple of my wardrobe and are worn on a weekly basis:

Top left: Green lightweight trousers; top right: the tweed ensemble; middle left: the first pair in lightweight navy wool fabric;  middle right: trousers in greyish black; bottom left: trousers in Italian grey wool and bottom right: my new trousers!

I love the fit of these high-waisted 1941 (reproduction) trousers pattern.  It looks great with a suit jacket (this one is from my favourite Scottish company, Ness) or styled in the 1940s way.

We took these photos in Florence where we spent the Christmas holiday period. The city is so charming and colourful.  There were light displays throughout the city.  These photos were taken at the Santo Spirito cathedral which had children's drawings project onto it throughout the night.  How lovely is that?

YAY for favourite patterns!  What is your tried 'n true pattern?

The Thin Man: My Favourite Holiday Movie

We have a new holiday tradition – watching the 'Thin Man' movie.  Filmed in 1934, it features two of my favourite actors together, William Powell and Myrna Loy, for unforgettable on-screen chemistry. It also features some amazing art deco outfits!

Probably one of my favourite outfits, and one I am hoping to replicate someday, is Myrna's tartan and velvet ensemble:

I found a few patterns that could help recreate the look:

Upper left corner: 1930s New York dress pattern, middle left: 1930s Butterick bow blouse; lower left corner: 1930s instant download beret hat pattern; Right side: Adorable 1930s DuBarry dress and jacket pattern

For the bowed blouse, either the Butterick blouse or the New York dress pattern (upper left corner) would work under a jacket like the one from the DuBarry pattern. There's also the perfect beret hat pattern (with or without the bows)!

And for the mini Myrna look, a matching children's pattern:

1930s Pictorial Review children's dress and jacket pattern

How adorable is that?

Also, the film features some of the most divine coats.  I must say, I really love the high fur collar on this classic art deco coat:

Here's a few patterns to replicate the look:

Left: 1930s instant download coat pattern in any size; Middle: Mode du Jour Magazine from 1931; Right: 1930s Autumn Coat instant download pattern in any size.

Myrna also has several one-of-a-kind art deco ensembles such as this jacket:

It's hard to tell if the blouse is attached to the jacket as one piece or not (or if it's a faux blouse and just serves as the jacket front).  I haven't been able to find a pattern like this but it is evocative of glamorous jabots and neck pieces such as this pattern below from the NRA period (1933-35):

1930s Simplicity dress pattern featuring a gilet over a peplumed vest and open back dress

Finally, this pattern reminds me of all the jackets from the movie:

1930s swagger coat pattern, size B32

So much fun!

Happy holidays everyone!